


What Kurt Did On His Spring Vacation

by Miss_Carmilla



Category: Glee
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, M/M, POV Kurt Hummel, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 22:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13580262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Carmilla/pseuds/Miss_Carmilla
Summary: It's spring break, and Kurt has the chance to reconnect with his New Directions friends and catch up on gossip. He'll need their help to get through a week without Blaine, who's on vacation with his family. Set just after 2x16 "Original Song".





	1. From Regionals to Spring Break

**Author's Note:**

> "What Kurt Did On His Spring Vacation" was my first serious attempt at fanfiction writing. It was written in the spring of 2011 to help me deal with _Glee_ withdrawal during the month of repeats. Blaine's temporary absence from Kurt's life in this story symbolizes how I felt about not having new _Glee_!
> 
> This story isn't as polished as my later fics and never received a lot of attention, but I think it is a fun little slice of life piece. I hope you enjoy it.

_**Kurt Hummel** is in a relationship with **Blaine Anderson**. **  
Mercedes Jones** , **Rachel Berry** , **Tina Cohen-Chang** , and 8 others like this._

* * *

One thing Kurt hadn't expected about officially being in a relationship with Blaine was how little time they actually had alone together. At first they were busy with extra rehearsals, but after the Warblers' defeat at Regionals Kurt realized that his normal schedule still didn't allow for much time alone with Blaine. There was class, homework, choir practice, and his long drive back home at the end of the day.

They were _together_ a lot, as often as they could manage: in class, in the dining hall, in the library, at rehearsals, and afterward at the Lima Bean. None of this counted as truly _alone_ , though. There were always other people around, or there could be at any moment.

Kurt knew that his classmates at Dalton were willing to accept, or at least tolerate, the presence of openly gay students, but he wasn't confident that this would extend to openly gay students who were openly playing kissy face in the common room. He also wasn't sure how the administration would feel about it. While there was not actually a rule about public displays of affection, the code of conduct did require students to exercise decorum in their public behavior.

This was not to say that Kurt was unwilling to risk a breach of decorum now and then. His first kiss with Blaine (and second, and third…) had been in the common room. It was sheer luck that no one else had walked in. They'd had similarly daring moments in the days since Regionals, but only a few. Their physical relationship was largely limited to hand-holding.

Since Blaine had a roommate even his dorm room wasn't truly private. Tyler might come in at any time looking for his gloves or notebook. Even when Tyler was safely at lacrosse practice (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon) there were other interruptions. Kurt figured this was the inevitable downside of having a popular boyfriend. It seemed like Blaine's hallmates were always banging on the door wanting to ask him about Trig homework, invite him to play cards, or remind him about a Warblers meeting.

Kurt had been dreading that first post-Regionals meeting. He'd been certain that the other Warblers would blame their loss on Blaine's last minute decision to do a duet with Kurt. Fortunately everyone seemed to feel that New Directions had won due to a combination of genuine ability, the novelty value of original songs, and questionable judging practices.

"I know everyone is disappointed that we won't be continuing to Nationals," Wes had said. "But there is no shame in an honorable defeat. To have made it to Regionals at all is an accomplishment. We did our best, as performers and as gentlemen, and that is something of which we can all be proud."

Throughout the meeting Kurt did his best to ignore Blaine's hand on his knee. As relieved as he was to know he wasn't considered the Yoko Ono of the Warblers, Kurt figured it was best not to push their luck. Although he was confident in his abilities as a singer, he couldn't deny that he'd benefited from favoritism. Kurt had been able to skip the usual audition process only because Blaine wanted him as a duet partner. All the other Warblers knew he and Blaine were an item, but he wanted to keep things as discreet as possible to avoid causing resentment.

Spring break would have been a good chance for some real alone time together, if not for the fact that Blaine was going to be away. Not just away, but in an entirely different hemisphere. Kurt had known for weeks that Blaine would be visiting his grandparents in the Philippines during break, but when they'd been "just friends" this hadn't seemed like such a big deal. McKinley had break the same week as Dalton, and although he would have missed Blaine he had been looking forward to hanging out with all his New Directions friends.

He was still looking forward to seeing the old gang, but this now seemed like a mere consolation prize. He was going to be separated from Blaine for nine whole days. To make matters worse, Blaine's cell phone wouldn't work outside the US. His grandparents didn't have Internet either. Kurt was about to spend spring break totally cut off from the boy he loved. This was the cruelest twist of fate since Gretchen won _Project Runway_.


	2. Friday, March 25, 2011

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was first working on this story I revised the ending of Chapter 2 many times. My original idea was that Kurt and Blaine would have an argument and then make up (and make out) just before Blaine left on vacation. The more I wrote the more I felt that this idea wasn't going to work in this story. (I wound up using an argument as the basis for my later story, "Blame It On the Coffee".) Without an argument I wasn't sure how to end the chapter, though. The originally posted version stopped rather abruptly. I wound up rewriting it in December 2011. This revision isn't perfect, but I think it is an improvement.

The last day before spring break was very unspringlike, with the temperature hovering right around freezing. Kurt didn't have any classes with Blaine on Fridays, but he received a text message from him that morning. _My rm after class? Tyler will b gone. :)_

Everyone was a little distracted that day thinking about the upcoming break. Several times Kurt's teachers had to remind the students that this was still a school day and they needed to pay attention. Kurt managed to focus on his French quiz, but aside from that nothing in any of his classes seemed important.

At 3 o'clock he was finally free. Kurt ditched his book bag in his truck and headed over to Blaine's dorm. He found his boyfriend contemplating a bottle of hair gel as if it were Yorick's skull.

"I can't believe they only let you bring three ounces in your carry-on. Is that even going to get me through the flight?"

"You can take as much as you want in a checked bag."

"I don't want to have to worry about checking stuff, what if it gets lost?" Blaine sighed. "I guess I can buy more when I get there." He put the bottle back on the dresser and smiled at Kurt. "You're allowed to sit down, you know. Here, I'll hang up your stuff."

Kurt handed his coat and scarf to Blaine and sat down on Blaine's bed. There really wasn't anywhere else. The room only had two chairs, and one was piled high with what must be Tyler's books. Blaine's uniform was draped over the other, Blaine himself having already changed into jeans and a sweater. It was still a little exciting for Kurt to see his boyfriend out of uniform.

"So, did Tyler go home already?"

"Yeah, there was no lacrosse today so he left." Blaine hopped on the bed beside Kurt. "My parents will be here in a while, but I wanted to be sure we had the chance to say goodbye."

"I'm really going to miss you."

Blaine squeezed his hand. "I'm going to miss you too. Hey, I got you something."

"Really?"

"No, I'm being a tease." Blaine hopped up again and got a paper gift bag from his desk. He handed it to Kurt and sat down again, playfully bumping Kurt with his shoulder. "Go ahead and open it!"

Kurt pulled the tape off the bag and opened it to find a blue and white striped scarf. "It's not designer or anything," Blaine said quickly. "But I know you like scarves and I thought this would be nice for spring."

"It's _perfect_ for spring, thank you so much! Now I feel bad I didn't get you anything."

"You don't have to get me anything."

They looked at each other for a moment without saying anything. Blaine had such gorgeous eyes. Blaine was so gorgeous in general that sometimes Kurt still felt shy when Blaine looked at him. He was sure he was starting to blush. This was as close to being _alone_ alone as they were going to be for a long time.

"Close your eyes," Kurt said.

"Why?" Blaine asked, smiling.

"I remembered I do have something to give you, but it isn't wrapped. You have to close your eyes so it'll be a surprise." Kurt's cheeks were burning now. He needed this to be a surprise for the sake of his own nerves if nothing else. It wouldn't matter how stupid he looked if Blaine couldn't see him.

As soon as Blaine's eyes were closed, Kurt leaned forward and kissed him.


	3. Saturday, March 26, 2011

Saturday was even colder than Friday. Kurt put on his new scarf but stayed inside all day, glued to his cellphone. Blaine's flight wasn't actually departing until that evening, so they were able to text back and forth throughout the Anderson family's drive to Detroit and their wait at the airport.

_Where would u go if u could fly 4 free?_ Blaine asked.

_Def. Paris._

_Other than Paris. ;)_

_Salzburg._

_Y?_

_Sound of Music tour. :)_

_LOL_

_What about u?_

_Other than Paris?_

_Yes. :)_

_Maybe Milan?_

_Fashion Week!_

_U know it. :)_

They went on to plan a future tour of Europe, followed by a trip to India. All too soon, Blaine texted _Boarding!  
_

_I miss u already_ , Kurt replied.

It was a few minutes before he got a response. _I miss u more._ _Phones off now. I <3 u!  
_

_I <3 u 2! _Kurt texted back as quickly as he could. He waited to see if Blaine would text him back one last time, but that was it. His boyfriend was on his way to the other side of the world.

There was only one acceptable response to this situation. Kurt put "My Heart Will Go On" on repeat and flopped on his bed. He managed to listen to it three and a half times before Finn threw a shoe at his door. Kurt turned the volume down and got back on the bed.

During the fifth repetition Burt came and knocked on his door. "Hey kiddo, we're getting takeout," he called through the door. "Do you have any requests, or are you planning to go down with the ship?"

Kurt considered this. "Can we get Thai? I want Pad Thai!"

"You got it."

Kurt heard his dad thump back down the stairs. He listened to Celine one more time, then got up and turned off his CD player. He was still despondent about being apart from Blaine for eight more days, but he supposed life couldn't be all _that_ bad if there was Pad Thai coming.


	4. Sunday, March 27, 2011

On Sunday Kurt had his first chance to talk to Finn alone. At least, his first chance without actually _asking_ Finn if he could talk to him alone. After brunch Burt and Carole had gone out to run some errands. Finn was watching a basketball game on TV in the living room.

Kurt had learned from his father that sports fans do _not_ like to chat during a game. Especially not when the Buckeyes were playing, but he could tell from the team colors that Ohio State wasn't on the court. Instead it was a very matchy matchy match of blue-on-white vs. white-on-blue. He sat down on the couch, next to Finn but not too close.

"Do you need something?" Finn asked, his eyes still on the screen.

"Me? No, I just wanted to hang out."

"You follow basketball now?"

"Uh, not really. I wanted to talk to you, but I can wait for a commercial."

"Okay, the first half is almost over."

Kurt toyed with the fringe on his scarf. At least it was the right colors, regardless of which team Finn was rooting for. After a few minutes the first half ended with white-on-blue up 38 to 30.

Finn hit the mute button and turned to his stepbrother. "So, what's up? Nice scarf, by the way."

"Thanks!" Kurt beamed. "It was a present from Blaine. That's, uh, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Wow, it looks fine to me, but I don't think I'm the one to be giving you fashion advice."

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself on that front! I meant I wanted to talk about me and Blaine."

"Oh God, I _really_ can't give you any advice about that!"

Kurt felt himself blushing. "Believe me Finn, that is one area where I support a 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be weird if Blaine came over sometimes. I mean, it's your house now too."

"Nah, it's cool. He's been here before anyway."

"Yeah, but we were just friends then."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Dude, I know you slept together after Rachel's party."

To his surprise, Kurt discovered that his cheeks were capable of burning even more. "Yes. We slept. That's all. We didn't even kiss, although we may have literally swapped spit because he somehow managed to drool on my pillow."

For a moment it seemed that Finn didn't know how to react to this. Then he burst out laughing. "That's rough, dude."

"Yeah, Dad really got onto me too. It's all okay now, but I definitely won't be having another sleepover anytime soon." Kurt cleared his throat. "Um, I also wanted to say that I'd been thinking about how I acted last year and I want you to know that I'm really, really sorry. Being with Blaine has made me realize that how I feel about him wasn't how I felt about you. I didn't really like you that way. I was…confused."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You know, it was just me and my dad for a long time. I never had a brother. I didn't even really have any guy friends." He looked back down at his scarf again, thinking about how his life had been for such a long time. "At McKinley you were one of the only guys who was ever nice to me at all. So when we started to be friends, I got mixed up. I knew I wanted a boyfriend, I'd known _that_ for a long time, but I didn't understand at first that I wanted a brother too. And as crazy and stupid as I was about everything, that's what happened. I got a brother. So I just wanted to be sure you knew that I'm not confused anymore, and that I'm glad you're my brother."

Kurt looked back up at Finn, and was relieved to see him smiling. "I'm glad we're brothers too. Bro fist?" Finn held out his hand, and the two boys bumped knuckles. The game was coming back on, so Kurt left Finn to watch it in peace. He also wanted to get started on reorganizing his closet for spring.

Back in his room, Kurt thought about their conversation as he sorted his shirts by color. What he'd said to Finn about how he'd felt the year before might not have been entirely true, but it was true enough. It was true now.


	5. Monday, March 28, 2011

"I'd go with the orange," Kurt said. "Citrus colors are big this spring."

Mercedes put the red top back on the rack and kept the orange one to try on. "Was there anything you wanted to look at here?"

"No, I think I've done enough damage today," he said, hefting his shopping bag from the last store they'd visited. "I love this nautical chic thing, but if I'm going to be in uniform five days a week I guess one striped sweater is enough."

"Okay, wait for me outside the dressing room then? I may need your opinion."

Twenty minutes later Mercedes had said yes to the orange top and a set of plastic bangle bracelets, no to the military style jacket, and hell to the no to the pink and black bubble dress. She paid for her purchases and they went to Subway to get some lunch. It felt like old times to Kurt, back at the Lima Mall with his best friend.

He knew that he could trust Mercedes to be totally honest with him, so he asked her the question that had been weighing on his mind. "Mercedes, do you think I'm uptight?"

"Like, more uptight than usual?"

He sighed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"What's up with you?"

"I've just been worried recently that maybe I worry about things too much."

Mercedes laughed. "If you're worried about whether you worry too much then you are definitely worrying too much! What's this about?"

"Can you stand hearing me talk about Blaine again?"

"Yes, as long as you promise not to describe his eyes. Again." She pointed her straw at him. "Because I would seriously have to hurt you."

He held up his hands. "Okay, okay! I'll restrain myself. It's just that sometimes I worry that he's going to look at me one day with his _indescribable_ eyes and realize that I'm not any fun. He's so outgoing and spontaneous, and I'm always obsessing over something."

"Kurt, do you think I'd waste my time hanging out with someone who wasn't any fun? And you don't need to have the same personality as your boyfriend. Opposites attract! Look at Artie and Brittany."

"I still don't really get that relationship."

"I don't think anyone does, but it seems to be working!"

"Hey, thinking of relationships, did you ever go out with Anthony again?" Kurt had hoped his attempt to set up his friend would be successful, but as far as he knew they'd only gone for ice cream once.

She shook her head. "No, he was nice and all, but I just wasn't feeling it. No spark, you know?"

"Don't write him off too quickly. It took four months before I got through to Blaine."

"Yeah, but when did you feel a spark from _him_?"

"Instantly," Kurt said. "Like the Fourth of July, POW!"

"See, that's what I mean! When I meet the right guy, I'll know it."

Kurt drummed his fingers on the table. "I do happen to know a _lot_ of single guys now, if you don't mind a long distance relationship. Did any of my brother Warblers catch your eye?"

"I don't know, I don't want to get into some kind of Romeo and Juliet thing. That didn't work out too well for Rachel last year."

"Didn't stop her from going after Blaine. Which I have totally forgiven her for, I'm just saying that even after all her drama with Jesse she was still open to the idea of dating someone from another choir. Anyway, you guys beat us already. It'll be next fall before we're in competition again. So don't worry about it!"

Mercedes smiled. "Well, there was one guy I thought was kind of cute…"


	6. Tuesday, March 29, 2011

_From: Blaine Anderson_  
_To: Kurt Hummel_  
_Subject: Hello from Cebu City!_

_Kurt,_

_Surprise, it's me! I'm at an Internet café, and I miss you. It's about 90 degrees here, and I miss you. My hair is going crazy, and I miss you. I'm having a good time with my family, and I miss you. We're going to the beach tomorrow, and I miss you. I'm taking lots of pictures, and I miss you. I MISS YOU BABY!_

_Are you still wearing the scarf I gave you? ;)_

_Sorry this is so short. My time is running out here so I have to go. I hope you're having a good time with all your WMHS friends. Say hi to everybody for me._

_Love,_

_Blaine_

* * *

 Tina called that afternoon to invite Kurt to dinner. "Mike and I are going to Breadstix, and his mother _won't_ be joining us. Do you want to come? You can bring your boyfriend, it'll be a double date!"

"Blaine's actually visiting his grandparents this week, but thanks for the invitation. Maybe we can do it another time."

"Oh, that's too bad. Yeah, we should all go out soon. I didn't really have a chance to talk to him before, and I want to make sure he's good enough for you."

Kurt laughed. "I think some of the guys at Dalton are wondering if I'm good enough for him! He's really popular and I'm still the weird new kid."

"I know how you feel. Sometimes I look at Mike and I think, what are you doing with me? I mean, I'm a freak. He could be dating some skinny Cheerio with big boobs."

"You are not a freak. You make bold fashion choices, and you know I've always admired that. Besides, you and Mike are like the best couple in the history of New Directions! Everyone else is having crazy drama all the time, but you two always seem so happy and in love."

"Oh, we've had our drama, believe me. You just missed it because you transferred. I almost broke up with him at Sectionals because I thought he was cheating on me with Brittany."

"No! What happened?" Kurt couldn't believe he'd missed out on this New Directions gossip.

"Nothing, really. They'd just been practicing their dance routine a lot and I went psycho. I mean, I like Brittany and all, but she's slept with half the guys at school!"

"That's a conservative estimate."

"Hey, is it true that you made out with her last year?"

"I plead the Fifth. What happened with Mike?"

"I flipped out at him backstage. He didn't even know what I was mad about! The only thing he'd done with Brittany was dance, and borrow her Lip Smackers. Anyway, it all worked out, but we're definitely not the perfect couple."

"Tina, Mike is a really sweet guy, and as far as I can tell he's crazy about you. And unless he is literally crazy he must think you're awesome, because you are."

"Thanks. Sorry I'm dumping all my emotional stuff on you. I really did just call to ask if you wanted to have dinner. Do you want to come?"

"You won't mind having a third wheel?"

"Not if it's you. I've really missed you, Kurt."

"I've missed you too. I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever, except on Facebook."

"I'm afraid I haven't been that great of a friend lately. I spend so much time with Mike that I don't hang out much with anyone else except at school. But I don't want to lose touch with you. Especially since we have something extra in common now."

"Aside from a unique sense of style?"

"Yeah, we both have hot Asian boyfriends!"

"Well, Blaine is only half Asian."

"That counts! Anyway, the important thing is that he'd better be 100% good to you. You deserve it."


	7. Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Kurt decided Wednesday was a good day for afternoon tea. Cucumber sandwiches, scones, the works. He'd have everything ready by the time his dad and Carole got home from work. He had just taken a batch of lemon scones from the oven when the doorbell rang. To his surprise, it was Brittany.

"Hi Brittany, are you lost?"

"No, I'm looking for you."

"Well, you found me! Come on in. Love the hat, by the way."

"Thanks. Your scarf is pretty." Brittany followed Kurt into the kitchen. She sat down at the table while he began washing his mixing bowl.

"So, what brings you here?" he finally asked.

"My car," she replied.

"No, I mean why did you come to see me?"

"Kurt, you're like the gayest person I know."

"Thank you."

"That's why I need your help. I have a friend who's gay and is afraid to tell anyone."

He almost dropped the mixing bowl into the sink. Was she talking about Karofsky? Brittany had certainly been "friendly" with the football team. Just thinking about Karofsky made Kurt feel sick, and if Brittany knew his secret then she might be in danger too. He didn't think Karofsky would feel bad about hurting a girl.

"Is your friend a football player?" Kurt asked cautiously.

"No, it's…a friend from Cheerios."

"A lesbian cheerleader, huh? I think Finn was watching that movie online."

Brittany gasped. "Santana was in a movie? She never told me!"

This time he did drop the mixing bowl. "You're talking about _Santana_?"

He had of course been aware that there was a physical element to Santana and Brittany's friendship, but it had seemed obvious they were just trying to get attention from guys. Everyone knew Brittany was willing to make out with anyone, male or female, which he supposed did make her bisexual, but _Santana_? She had to be the most aggressively heterosexual girl Kurt knew. She wasn't even gay-friendly, she was always making nasty remarks about…

Oh.

So it was sort of like Karofsky after all. To her credit Santana was nowhere near _that_ bad, but he suddenly saw her chronic bitchiness in a new light.

"She's really confused and sad," Brittany said. "I tried to talk to her but she's mad at me now and I don't know what to do."

"Is there anyone else she could talk to? Someone she trusts?"

"We already talked to Miss Holiday. She was really nice. We went to Japan" – Kurt decided it was better not to ask – "and then we sang a song. I thought that would make things better, but it didn't. Santana told me she doesn't want everyone to be mean to her like they were to you. She was crying. Can you tell her it's not so bad? Can you help her to not be scared?"

As far as Kurt knew there weren't any out lesbians at McKinley. He wondered what it would be like for Santana to be the first. Maybe she'd be even more popular. Lots of straight guys seemed to like the idea of hot young lesbians. Of course, being a lesbian meant one probably wasn't that interested in turning straight guys on. He thought about how embarrassed he was by the idea of getting caught making out with Blaine, and how much more embarrassing it would be if the other person actually wanted to stay and watch.

"Look, I don't know if I can really help her, but if she wants to talk then we can talk. I'll call her later, okay?"

Brittany nodded.

"Santana is lucky she has a good friend like you." He thought Brittany looked sad when he said this, although it was always hard to tell with her. He turned to check on the scones. "These are cool enough to eat now, do you want one?"

"Sure! I should go home soon, though. My mom gets worried about me."

The poor woman had plenty to worry about, Kurt thought as he got out some dessert plates and sat down beside Brittany. It couldn't be easy having a daughter with the body of a Victoria's Secret model and the brains of a Victoria's Secret mannequin. Still, she was a sweet girl in her own special way.

"These are really good," Brittany said, licking the crumbs off her fingers. "Hey Kurt, do you remember when we made out?"

Was he never going to live that down? "Yes, I remember."

"Except for Artie, you're the nicest guy I ever made out with. You taught me a lot about skin care. Now that you have a boyfriend, maybe you can give him a facial too. I bet he'd like that."

For a brief but terrifying moment Kurt thought he was going to choke to death on his own scone. He coughed several times before he managed to recover his composure. "I'll be sure to take that suggestion under advisement," he said.

"Is that like a basement?"

* * *

It seemed weird to just call Santana out of the blue. Kurt decided to send her a text message instead. _Hey S, hope u r ok. Call me if u ever want 2 talk. -Kurt_

She texted him back a few minutes later. _Im fine thx. l8rs._

He figured he'd better let it go at that.


	8. Thursday, March 31, 2011

Rachel decided to celebrate the fact that Thursday was not a school night by inviting Mercedes and Kurt over for a slumber party. After watching _American Idol_ and Rachel's DVD of _Rent_ , the three friends had moved on to a game of "Who Would You Do?" as they finished the last of the pizza.

"Okay ladies, I've got one," Kurt declared. "Ewan McGregor, or Jude Law?"

"Definitely Ewan McGregor," said Rachel. "He was so amazing in _Moulin Rouge!_ "

"I know, right?" Kurt agreed. "Do you cry at the end? I totally cry. Mercedes?"

"Why does it always have to be white guys? All right, Jude Law. But if he messed around on me he'd be sorry. Your turn, Rachel."

Rachel took a moment to swallow a mouthful of pizza and consider her suggestion. "In the spirit of diversity, Taye Diggs or Jesse L. Martin?"

Mercedes snorted. "Too easy! Taye Diggs!"

Kurt nodded. "Taye all the way!"

"The people have spoken! It's unanimous!" cheered Rachel.

Kurt was glad that he and Rachel had become friends. She actually could be a lot of fun, and they had a lot in common…with the exception of her horrific taste in clothing and interior decorating. He couldn't help but wonder how two gay men had managed to raise a daughter with no sense of style whatsoever. He'd finally come to the conclusion that Rachel's condition was a type of disability. She wasn't color blind, she was fashion blind. Since the poor girl couldn't help it, the decent thing to do was keep his comments to himself.

Regardless of the fact that Rachel's room looked like the scene of a tragic accident involving the Good Ship Pepto-Bismol, it was the only place he could have a slumber party with the girls. Kurt figured it was a bad idea to invite Rachel to spend the night in the same house as Finn. There were too many ways that situation could go wrong. Mercedes's parents liked Kurt well enough but were uneasy with the idea of having him share their daughter's bedroom. Rachel's dads were fine with her having both straight girls and gay boys stay overnight.

"Me now, right?" asked Mercedes. "Okay, one for you two nerds, Harry Potter or—"

"Harry Potter," Kurt said.

"You didn't even hear the second guy."

"I don't need to. Harry Potter, Harry Pot-TER! At Hogwarts there is no one hot-TER!"

Mercedes gave him a playful shove. "You are adorkable. Rachel, that's Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy."

"Gotta be Draco."

Kurt made a face. "Ew, why? He's such a creep."

"I could change him!" Rachel sighed. "Besides, he's loaded."

"So's Harry."

"He doesn't have a family estate," countered Rachel. "I could be mistress of Malfoy Manor!"

"Don't make me regret bringing it up, you two. Is the popcorn gone?"

"No, there's still plenty." Kurt passed the bowl to Mercedes. "What should we do now?"

"It's almost midnight."

"Pajama time!" squealed Rachel. "I want to show you guys my new nightie." She jumped off the bed and walked over to her dresser. "The bathroom's all your, Kurt."

Kurt got his pajamas from his overnight bag and went to change in Rachel's bathroom. Mercedes pulled on her red sleepsuit, and Rachel slipped into her new pink floral print nightgown. By the time they finished changing Kurt still had not returned.

"Kurt? Are you okay?" Mercedes called.

"I'm fine!" Kurt called back. "Just making sure I look my best for you ladies, ha ha!" A moment later he reappeared in Rachel's room, wearing his blue pajamas…and his blue and white striped scarf.

The two girls exchanged a look. Finally Rachel said "I hate to question your fashion choices, but I don't think it's a good idea to be wearing a scarf to bed."

"I don't think it's a good idea for a short girl to be wearing a maxi length nightgown," Kurt retorted. He instantly felt bad. "No, I'm sorry, that was mean. It's very pretty, and maxi skirts are in. Something above the knee would make you look taller, though."

"Kurt, I'm sure Blaine didn't expect you to wear that 24/7," Mercedes said. "You're lucky you haven't strangled yourself in your sleep!"

"I'm not stupid, Mercedes. I'm going to take it off when I'm ready to go to sleep. But we're not going to sleep yet, right? This party's just getting started!" He joined the two girls on the bed. "Hey Rachel, what's your favorite Barbra Streisand movie? Most people would say _Funny Girl_ , but I think a strong case could be made for—"

Mercedes was not fooled. "Why do you keep trying to change the subject?"

"As much as I enjoy discussing the filmography of Ms. Barbra Streisand, it can wait," Rachel agreed. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong," Kurt said. "I just thought it would be fun to try something a little different. You know, liven up the ol' PJs with a fun accessory!"

"Kurt, stop playing around," said Mercedes.

There was no use trying to hide it anymore. He wasn't sure he even wanted to.

As Kurt untied his scarf, he heard bells ringing in the distance. It was midnight.


	9. Friday, April 1, 2011

Kurt slowly unwrapped his scarf to reveal three large bruises on the right side of his neck. One was still dark purple, and the other two had faded to a sickly greenish color.

"Did someone do that to you?" Rachel gasped.

"Um, yeah. Blaine, obviously."

Rachel clutched one of her stuffed monkeys to her chest. Her eyes were wide. "Kurt, is he abusing you?"

"What? No!" This definitely was not the reaction he'd expected.

"Don't worry, Rachel," said Mercedes. "I'm pretty sure our boy has been getting some love bites. They just look extra bad on his extra pale skin."

Rachel threw her monkey at Kurt. "You've been holding out on us!"

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," he replied, tossing the monkey back.

"I think that rule only applies to other guys," said Mercedes. She took Rachel's other stuffed monkey and threw it at Kurt. "When you're with girls, you've got to dish!"

"It's the slumber party code," added Rachel, lobbing the first monkey at him again.

"Okay, I surrender!" He picked up the monkeys and hid them behind his back. "I went over to Blaine's room on Friday to say goodbye, and…well, we said goodbye for about an hour. I didn't want to make a big deal about it."

He actually did kind of want to make a big deal about it, but he hadn't wanted to seem insensitive to his favorite Single Ladies. He also wasn't sure exactly how much he was comfortable sharing about his alone time with Blaine.

"Don't worry, I know that Blaine and I were not meant to be," Rachel said. "I'll always remember him fondly as the guy who made me feel just like Liza Minnelli, and you as the friend who kept him from being my Peter Allen."

"I think Rachel's trying to say that she's happy for you," said Mercedes. "So am I. Blaine's a great guy…but maybe you should tell him to go a little easier on your neck. It looks like you had a date with Dracula!"

"He'd already given me the scarf, so I told him he might as well give me a really good reason to wear it." Kurt grinned sheepishly and scratched his neck. "I didn't think they'd last this long."

"Did you try rubbing them with a spoon?" asked Rachel.

"Why on Earth would I do that?"

"It's supposed to help hickeys go away faster."

"What kind of spoon?"

"Kurt, only you would be concerned about using the wrong spoon in this situation," Mercedes said.

"I think once the darker one fades a little I can just use some concealer," said Kurt. "That should only take another day or two. At least, I hope so. I've got to be back in uniform on Monday."

"Do they hurt?" asked Rachel.

"Only if I poke at them."

"And did Blaine poke at you?" asked Mercedes.

"You're awful!" Kurt said, blushing. "It wasn't like that. We were just kissing. Well, mostly just kissing."

"Mostly?"

"I don't know if I want to hear this," Rachel said.

Kurt bit his lip and shrugged.

"Okay, I want to hear it," Rachel said.

"It's kind of embarrassing," Kurt said, folding his arms behind his back. "Blaine was kissing my neck, and then...we were attacked by flying monkeys!" Before the girls could react he pulled the stuffed monkeys out from behind his back, flinging one at Rachel and the other at Mercedes.

Mercedes grabbed a pink pillow from the bed. "That's it, pillow fight is ON!"

* * *

_From: Blaine Anderson  
To: Kurt Hummel  
Subject: Blaine Anderson – International Man of Mystery_

_Kurt,_

_Well, it's been a whole week. How's life in Lima? How's your closet reorganization project coming? How was the slumber party? How's your neck? O:)_

_I'm back at the Internet café, as you may have guessed. I remembered my camera cable this time, so I'm sending you some photos._

_Here's one of many FABULOUS jeepneys I've seen here:_

(The photo was of a small bus painted bright pink, blue, and yellow. It said "Buddy Love" across the front.)

_Here I am with my cousins at the beach:_

(Blaine was wearing a pair of pink sunglasses and carrying a little girl on his shoulders. An older boy and girl waved at the camera.)

_And here I am being eaten by a ferocious crocodile!_

(Blaine posing with his head inside the mouth of a very large taxidermy crocodile.)

_I have a lot more, but I'll save those to bore you with when I get back. It won't be long now. I can't wait to see you._

_Love,_

_Blaine_

* * *

 "Hey, Kurt?" Finn called from the laundry room.

"What?"

"You didn't really like that striped sweater, did you?"

Kurt closed his laptop. He could feel his blood pressure rising. "Are you talking about my brand new striped sweater that I have not even worn yet?"

Finn appeared in the doorway. "Kurt, I am really, really sorry. I saw it laid out in there and figured I'd just throw it in the dryer with my stuff. I think you could still use it though, like for a doll or something..."

Kurt raced into the laundry room, heart pounding. His sweater was right where he had left it on the drying rack, totally unharmed. He turned around to find Finn grinning at him like the Cheshire Cat.

"April fool!"

"Very mature, Finn."

"You're just mad because I got you."

"I'm mad because this prank lacked subtly and wit," Kurt sniffed.

"And also because you totally fell for it." Finn slapped Kurt on the shoulder and went back to the living room. Kurt heard him turn on the television.

Kurt went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and found Carole putting away some dishes. "Was that Finn's famous 'Oops, I ruined your clothes' gag?" she asked.

"He's done this before?"

"Almost every year. Last year he told me he'd spilled bleach all over my good black skirt." She rolled her eyes, then smiled at Kurt. "I guess he was excited to have someone else to try it out on."

"So it's sort of a family tradition, huh?"

"Something like that." She lowered her voice and said "You didn't hear this from me, but Finn's always been afraid of spiders."

Kurt pondered this. He was pretty sure he had some pipe cleaners in his craft box. "Thanks, Carole."

About twenty minutes later, Kurt returned to the living room. Finn was watching a rerun of _The Simpsons_. Kurt sat down on the couch, picked up his laptop, and checked his Facebook page. After a moment he looked up and said "Finn, what's that on your shoulder?"

Finn turned his head and saw what appeared to be an enormous, hairy black spider perched on his shoulder. "OH MY GOD!" he yelled, jumping up from the couch.

"April fool!" said Kurt.


	10. Saturday, April 2, 2011

Kurt adjusted his sailor's cap in the mirror. He thought it looked quite jaunty with his new sweater. He carefully tied his scarf around his neck and smiled. He was ready to party.

Mercedes and Tina had organized an end-of-break get together at Rock and Roll Lanes for "all 2010-2011 members of New Directions. Yes, that does include Kurt!" This would be Kurt's first chance to see everyone in a social setting since Rachel's party. He was excited about getting together with the old gang, especially since there would be no alcohol to complicate things. While Kurt was a pretty good bowler (he even had his own shoes, because he was _not_ into wearing shoes someone else had picked out) he was particularly looking forward to the karaoke room. He hadn't been able to sing with his New Directions friends in months.

He had been a little concerned about potential awkwardness around the New Directions members who weren't such close friends of his. However, once at the bowling alley it soon became obvious that Kurt was one of the few people present who no one felt awkward around. He wasn't a corner of any of the love triangles...rectangles...pentagons...miscellaneous polygons currently causing drama amongst the choir.

If Kurt's calculations were correct, he and Mercedes were the only truly neutral parties. Fortunately there didn't appear to be any lingering tension between Tina/Mike and Brittany/Artie, as they were already sharing a lane. But Quinn/Finn didn't want to be near Rachel or Santana/Sam, and Santana/Sam were also avoiding Brittany/Artie and Lauren/Puck. He was glad he'd been encouraging Mercedes to date outside the group, because it seemed like New Directions romantic drama was approaching critical mass.

In any event, everyone seemed genuinely happy to see Kurt. Even Puckerman gave him a friendly slap on the back, so friendly it almost knocked him over. "Kurt, my boy! How are the preppies treating you? Let me know if I need to go over there and kick anyone's ass."

"Ah, that won't be necessary, but I appreciate the thought."

"Have you met my special lady? LAUREN!" he called to his girlfriend, who was getting shoes from the rental counter.

"You can walk over here if you want to talk to me!" she yelled back.

Puck ushered Kurt over to the counter. "Kurt, this is Lauren."

"Hi, I saw you at Rachel's party, but we didn't really talk. Nice to meet you."

"You're the gay guy, right?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Awesome."

Mercedes waved at Kurt to join her and Rachel at their lane. Rachel had taken charge of the electronic score sheet. "Any suggestions for team name?" she asked.

"The Divas, of course!"

"The _Fierce_ Divas," Mercedes added.

As Rachel filled out the form, Sam walked over with his arm around Santana. "Hey guys, do you mind if we join you?" Santana and Rachel both looked less than delighted at the idea, but Rachel added their names to the score sheet without comment.

They had a pretty enjoyable game, but Kurt realized he'd been wrong about no one feeling awkward around him. Santana kept avoiding eye contact. The only thing she said to him during the entire game was a sarcastic "You sure are good at handling balls" after he made a strike.

"Thank you, Santana."

She turned to Sam and started playing with his bangs.

While Santana was up to bowl, Kurt took her place next to Sam. "Hey Kurt, how's it going?"

"I just wanted to thank you again for sticking up for me when I was at McKinley."

"No problem."

"I mean it. You're a really honorable guy. I, uh, I also wanted to say that I don't necessarily approve of everything Finn does. I learned the hard way that it was best not to get involved in his love life," Kurt said with an embarrassed grimace. "But if he'd asked me I'd have told him to be honest about what was going on with Quinn from the beginning."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate that. Don't worry about me, though. I really liked Quinn, but if she didn't want to be with me then it wasn't going to work. Anyway, I'm with the hottest girl in the whole school now." Sam gestured proudly to Santana, who had just finished her set with a spare.

"Well, I hope everything works out for you...one way or another." Santana was coming back, so Kurt quickly vacated her seat. As he stood up, he saw Tina beckoning him from her lane. He went over to join her.

"Kurt, Brittany and I decided we want to do the first karaoke song with you," Tina said. "'Single Ladies', like old times."

Kurt grinned. "Do you think that's appropriate? None of us are single anymore."

"It'll be ironic," Brittany said.

Kurt and Tina both looked at her.

"What? It will be!"

That girl was full of surprises.

A few minutes later everyone had relocated to the karaoke room. The song selection skewed heavily towards oldies, but "Single Ladies" was available. Kurt had a great time performing it with Tina and Brittany. Finn, Puck, and Mike even danced along. They still remembered the moves pretty well.

Rachel was the next up, with "Maybe This Time" from _Cabaret_. She was fantastic as usual, but she was so into it that Kurt felt a little embarrassed for her…and Finn. Luckily Puck got everyone's mood up again with "Born to Run", followed by Mercedes with Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". Then Rachel came over to Kurt with the song catalog and invited him to do "Closer to Fine" as a duet with her.

While they were singing, Kurt noticed Santana looked upset. Sam put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off, stood up, and ran out of the room. Sam went after her, only to return alone a moment later.

Once the song was over, Kurt took his bow and told Rachel and Mercedes he was going to the bathroom. This was partially true. He pushed open the door of the ladies room and called "Santana? Are you in there?"

"What do _you_ want?" she called back.

"I wanted to see if you were alright."

"I'm fine! I just really hate The Indigo Girls!"

"No one hates The Indigo Girls," he said. "You're not peeing or anything right now, are you?"

"No."

"Okay, I'm coming in."

Kurt found Santana washing her face in the sink. "You know, you're not actually a girl," she said. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"I know what I am, Santana."

"Well, I know what I am too!" she said. "And I'm not like you!"

He got some paper towels from the dispenser and handed them to her. "You're right, you're not. You don't need to be like me or anyone else. You can just be yourself."

Santana finished wiping her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't seem to want to look at Kurt. She got some lip gloss from the pocket of her jacket and applied it carefully to her lips.

"We've never done a duet together, have we?" he asked softly.

"No. And I don't _want_ to do a duet with you." She smacked her lips and put the gloss away.

"Okay. That's fine. I'm going to sing a song for you though, and I hope you'll come back to listen to it."

She didn't answer. Kurt turned and went back to the karaoke room.

Mercedes, Tina, Quinn, and Brittany were finishing up "Da Do Ron Ron". Rachel and Mercedes sang "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves" next. Artie followed, singing "Hey Ya!" while Brittany danced. Santana came back into the room during this number, and almost walked out again when she saw Brittany shaking it like a Polaroid picture for Artie. Then she noticed Kurt looking at her and sat back down next to Sam.

Now it was Kurt's turn. "Hey everyone, I wanted to say a couple of words before I do this next song," he said into the microphone. "It's really great to be here with all of you guys again, because even though I'm at Dalton now you're still the best bunch of friends I ever had. We've had our little dramas over the years, but you were there for me when it mattered…and I know you'd do the same for any one of us who needed help or support. So here's a song about friendship, and how it can get you through hard times."

He punched in the code for "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. He took a deep breath and started to sing. He sang for his Single Ladies Mercedes and Rachel, his No-Longer-Single Ladies Tina and Brittany, and their special guys Mike and Artie. He sang it for Sam, who was headed for another heartbreak he didn't see coming. He sang it for his stepbrother Finn, who he saw every day, and for Lauren, who he'd barely met. He sang it for Puck, who might finally be getting his life together, and for Quinn, who'd been through more than the rest of them could fully understand.

But most of all, he sang it for Santana. She was mean and she was selfish and she liked causing trouble, but she wasn't a monster. She was frightened and confused. Kurt looked directly at her and put everything he had into the lines "When you feel like you're alone, no, no, NO! You're not alone."

Everyone applauded when he finished the song. Kurt saw Rachel wipe her eyes on her sleeve, then smile. He sat back down beside Mercedes, who gave him a hug.

"Wow, that's going to be tough to follow," said Finn. "But I promised Quinn we'd do this one." He led Quinn up to the stage for "It Takes Two".

As they were singing, Sam and Santana walked over to where Kurt and Mercedes were sitting. "Great party, Mercedes!" said Sam. "Sorry to duck out early, but my girl wants me to take her home."

"I've got a headache," Santana said. "See you on Monday, Mercedes. And Kurt? That was a really good song."

"Thanks, Santana," he said. "I hope you're feeling better soon."


	11. Sunday, April 3, 2011

Kurt was the first one awake that morning. He'd set his alarm because he wanted to get himself back in the habit of waking up early for school. His dad and Carole liked to sleep in on Sundays, so he crept down to the kitchen to grab some yogurt and went back to his room.

As he was combing his hair, he heard his cellphone buzz. He picked it up to find a text message from Blaine.

_R u awake?_

_Yes_ , he texted back.

_Can I call u?_

_Yes. :)_

A moment later he was hearing his boyfriend's voice for the first time in over a week. "I wanted to call you as soon as we got back from the airport, but I fell asleep on the couch. I just got up."

"How was your flight?"

"Too long, but it was okay."

"Did you miss me?"

"Every day. Did you miss me? Were you really bored at home?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second. It turned out to be a more eventful week than I'd expected."

"Oh yeah? What happened?"

"I'll tell you about it later. First you have to tell me about your trip."

Kurt curled up on his bed as Blaine started to describe his vacation. He looked at the framed photo on his dresser and decided that as soon as he saw Blaine tomorrow he was going to give him a big kiss. He didn't care who saw them.

"Kurt? Are you still there?"

"Mmmhmm, I was just thinking about something."

"What's that?"

"I was thinking that I hope all my friends can be as happy as I am right now."


End file.
